Anathematization of Truth and Goodness (God)

Totalitarianism: pervasive control by the state of all things including the thoughts and acts of individuals.  Benito Mussolini defined it this way: "everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state."

But surely its menace existed only elsewhen? And elsewhere?

Totalitarianism has been thoroughly tested as an alternative to the rule of law.  It was ruinous to the peoples and countries who tested it (ie. Cambodia, the Soviet Russia, and Nazi Germany).

For this reason, it is troubling that recently, its methods appear in America: in NSA espionage, in political profiling by the IRS, in coordinated militarization of law enforcement, in nationalization of the health care market, in media bias, in efforts to disarm the populace, in intolerance for political opinions, and etc.

Totalitarianism seeps into and subverts all of civil society.  It makes itself the capricious code of everything.  It becomes the internet of ideas:  history.gov, education.gov, healthcare.gov, news.gov, transportation.gov, science.gov, art.gov, money.gov, politics.gov, love.gov, religion.gov, and etc.  What share of our billboards now bear this or a related suffix:  .gov (ie. .state)?  It becomes the monopolist of markets.  It sets itself up as the dispensary of jobs and opportunities, property, education, recognition, and etc.  It bends laws, truth, and information to its cause.

It defines goodness and truth and salvation:  it cannot tolerate diverse definitions of goodness and truth or evil and falsehood dictated by individual conscience.  So it rewrites history.  And burns books.  And subdues conscience.  And reforms god and goodness in its own image.  And casts down all other gods before it.  And relates sin to rebellion against itself and evil to every form of opposition to its oppressive unity.  And offers salvation on its own terms--however benightedly.

Under its heavy hand, every decision, expression, and act--public or private--has political ramifications up to and including execution.

In a totalitarian state, those who preserve or enhance their privileges and property are those who promote the state and pay servile obeisance to it.  For example, in Nazi Germany, to preserve their privileges, most of the priests genuflected to the Nazis--even on theological issues.  After many compromises, the Reich church became little more than an extension of the Nazi party--offering what it represented to be God's salvation on Nazi terms.

While those who pay obeisance to the state advance, those who influence the public's opinion against the deceits and deceivers of totalitarianism are stripped of influence and anathematized.*  For example, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and eventually executed for his refusal to genuflect to the Nazis regarding theology.

If your belief in divine omniscience keeps you from obeisance to human omniscience, in a totalitarian state, you may be a subject for anathematization.*  But would you have a fallible, totalitarian state be your god?

*Anathematization suggests total condemnation of a person by all society.  The Nazis anathematized the Jews.  The effect of anathematization was religious, economic, political, social, and etc.  In history, the Soviet and Nazi secret police effected anathematization by confiscations (forced impoverishment and dependency), prohibitions on expression and assembly, social alienation, professional condemnations (ie. psychiatric), criminalization, and etc.  The fear and cowardice of the populace enabled the totalitarians to anathematize their victims.